Course examines transformation as a systemic change in three dimensions: social, economic and political. In the focus is the comparison of transformation trajectory and emerging socioeconomic system in Russia with those in Eastern/Central Europe and China. Theoretical foundation is the theory of social change. Various socioeconomic models of capitalism in Russia and in Eastern Europe are comparing with each other and with the Chinese “market socialism”. Vast body of literature on transformation and comparative studies as well as global empirical datasets (sociological surveys, including World Value Survey, European Social Survey, etc.; datasets generated by the World Bank, UN and other international organizations) are used. Students have to prepare papers studying peculiarities of transformation in a specific country and to present them during seminars.

Course Requirements:

Country-paper 40%

One-page essays 20%

Participation in discussions 20%

Final exam 20%

Total 100%

Course schedule

Course consists of two sections:

Lectures and discussions of one-page essays;

Preparing and presenting of country-papers with analysis of transformation, its peculiarities, successes and failures. It includes practical exercises in computer lab with sociological datasets.

John S. Dryzek and Leslie Holmes, Post-Communist Democratization: Political Discourses across Thirteen Countries. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Chapter 16. Differences that matter – and those that do not, pp.255-273

Bonnell, Victoria E. and Thomas B. Gold, eds. The New Entrepreneurs of Europe and Asia: Patterns of Business Development in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2002):

8. Entrepreneurial Strategies and the Structure of Transaction Costs in Russian Business (Vadim Radaev), pp. 191-213;

Second section. Preparing and presenting of country-papers and one-page essays

One-page essay is preparing for each lecture (except first). It includes short analysis of a chapter (paragraph) of the book or article, length is around 1 page, containing as follows:

Brief summary (abstract)

Brief criticism, estimation, analysis of weak and strong points, etc.

There are five stages of making country-papers.

Stage 1. Choice of one of the 32 countries in transformation - during two first weeks:

Central Europe and the Baltic states

Croatia

Czech Republic

Estonia

Hungary

Latvia

Lithuania

Poland

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Eastern Germany

South-eastern Europe

Albania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

FYR Macedonia

Montenegro

Romania

Serbia

Kosovo

^Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Belarus

Georgia

Moldova

Ukraine

Central Asia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyz Republic

Mongolia

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

East Asia

China

Vietnam

Initial list of publication for each country will be provided by the instructor.

Stage 2. Analysis of the academic literature and studies done. During this stage student has to write plan of the ongoing country-paper and list of indicators for collection of data to compare situation in country selected with other states. I recommend this plan has to show the following items:

country profile

economic reforms

shifts in social stratification

political reforms

civil society

social consequences of transformation (living standards, inequality, changes in public opinion, values and life happiness, trust)

Student has to create list of indicators to cover major part of these items.

There are planned 3 exercises during 2 hours each in computer lab. Then students have to make data analysis on their own with individual consulting when necessary.

^Stage 4. Writing up country-paper in genre of academic paper, approximately 20-25 pages, with analysis of transformation course and outcomes in a country selected.

Stage 5. Presentation of country-papers and discussion in classroom - during last 3 weeks.

Sample of the exam task (2011):

Please, choose one of two and write an essay (papers were attached):

1. Yingyi Qian. The Process of China's Market Transition (1978-98): The Evolutionary, Historical, and Comparative Perspectives. Paper prepared for the Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics symposium on "Big-Bang Transformation of Economic Systems as a Challenge to New Institutional Economics," June 9-11, 1999, Wallerfangen/Saar, Germany.

Questions:

Please, explain variations in transformation in China and Eastern Europe (presented in piece: 5. China's Great Transformation: A Challenge to What?) by means of concept of the initial conditions of transformation